Operation Alpha (1955)

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A secret diplomatic operation conducted jointly in the early 1950s by the United States and Britain, with the purpose of drafting a comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. After several revisions to the proposed solution, in 1955 both countries reached an understanding that included the following principles: Israel ceding parts of the Negev to Egypt and Jordan, creating a territorial link between them; resettlement in Israel of 75,000 Palestinian refugees; and the establishment of a state of non-belligerence between Israel and Arab countries, in lieu of peace. The plan was categorically rejected by both Egypt and Israel.